This invention relates generally to refrigerators, and more specifically, to an apparatus for reducing temperature gradients in refrigerator fresh food compartments.
Known refrigerators typically regulate a temperature of a fresh food compartment by opening and closing a damper established in flow communication with a freezer compartment, and by operating a fan to draw cold freezer compartment air into the fresh food compartment as needed to maintain a desired temperature in the fresh food compartment.
In known refrigerators, however, achieving uniform temperatures in the fresh food compartment is challenging. For a variety of reasons, items placed in upper regions of the fresh food compartment tend to be undercooled, and items placed in lower regions of the fresh food compartment tend to be overcooled. While efforts have been made to control and improve airflow distribution in refrigerator fresh food compartments, see, for example U.S. Pat. No. 6,055,820, lower cost and simpler airflow distribution systems are desired.
In an exemplary embodiment, an airflow distribution assembly for a refrigerator includes an airflow diverter coupled to a cover and in flow communication with freezer compartment air. The diverter includes a primary flow path and at least one diverter opening therethrough, and the cover and diverter form a secondary flow path in flow communication with the first flow path through the diverter opening. Freezer compartment air is directed to the primary flow path, and a portion of the air in the primary flow path flows through the diverter opening and into the secondary flow path. From the secondary flow path, the cold air is introduced to the fresh food compartment through one or more vents in the cover.
More specifically, the diverter includes a plurality of openings between the primary flow path and the secondary flow path of different sizes to obtain desired flow rates into the secondary flow path to achieve balanced airflow into the fresh food compartment through the cover vents, thereby reducing temperature gradients in the fresh food compartment. The secondary flow path includes a longitudinal portion extending substantially vertically in the fresh food compartment, and a plurality of laterally extending portions located adjacent the vents. The cover vents are located adjacent the lateral portions of the secondary flow path, and the cover is rounded to uniformly direct cold air from the secondary flow path into the fresh food compartment. A sealing gasket extends between the diverter and the cover to prevent mixing of cold freezer compartment air with warmer fresh food compartment air except through the cover vents.
A lower end of the airflow distribution assembly includes a discharge extending from the cover to supply cold freezer compartment air to a fresh food compartment storage drawer to regulate temperature in the storage drawer, for example, for meat and/or vegetable storage therein.
A versatile airflow distribution assembly is therefore provided that improves airflow in a refrigerator fresh food compartment and reduces undesirable temperature gradients in the fresh food compartment, as well as supplying cold air to a storage drawer for regulating temperature therein.